The Abu Dhabi spa guide

Whether it’s a quick plunge and steam or a 24-carat gold or diamond encrusted facial, read on for a comprehensive guide to the best spas to try in the UAE capital

Penelope Wright | May 2018

The hammam room at Emirates Palace’s spa

With its glittering malls, towering skyscrapers and ultra-luxe hotels, it’s perhaps no surprise that the city pulls no punches when it comes to pampering. There’s a lot to consider when choosing which Abu Dhabi spa to visit. Some offer diamond facials and frankincense scrubs in opulent marble-clad hammams that make a welcome escape from the extreme desert heat. Take your pick from these top choices in the UAE capital.

If you only have time for one Abu Dhabi spa, make it this one. Enter the lavish 1,500-square-metre space through intricate carved Arabian marble arches and you’re hit with a flood of herb and spice aromas that give a hint of the treats to come. The spa menu includes everything from the renowned Hammam Rituals treatment – a black olive scrub followed by a rose shea butter treatment, popular with Emiratis – to the five-and-a-half-hour Day of Gold. The most extravagant treatment here, the gold experience, begins in the kaleidoscopic-tiled Moroccan hammam (two Jacuzzis, two steam rooms, heated marble and an ice cave), and includes a full-body massage, a 24-carat-gold facial (importantly, voted the best spa treatment in the world at the World Spa Awards), and a Bastien pedicure. Lunch is included.Open daily 10am-11pm

If you enjoy the facilities at a spa as much as the treatments, you’ll be in your element here. The Remede’s shimmering teal-tiled Jacuzzi is worth the trip alone – it’s among the biggest in the UAE. Along with couples’ treatment rooms and a VIP suite, there’s a relaxation room that provides sweeping vistas of the Arabian Gulf. It doesn’t get more relaxing than arriving at sunset and sipping on lemon-infused water overlooking one of the best views in Abu Dhabi.Open daily 10am-11pm

This is the only Abu Dhabi spa to offer quartz sand therapy, which uses a heated massage table filled with fine quartz sand. It’s based on the ancient Greek concept of psammotherapy – sand “baths” that were used to cure aches and pains – and the combination of the body-penetrating warmth, a calming massage and the healing properties of the quartz takes you somewhere else entirely. Dahlia Spa is one of just two five-star spas in the Al Maryah Island area of Abu Dhabi, and also offers Dahlia Journeys, which include a mixture of massages, facials and hammam treatments, and has a Jacuzzi, steam room and relaxation areas with heated beds.Open daily 10am-10pm

Located within the Ritz-Carlton’s Venetian Village, this beachfront Abu Dhabi spa is popular with locals – there’s a separate entrance behind the hotel for non-residents. Inspired by ancient Bedouin culture, the spa has separate men’s and women’s relaxation and wet areas that include plunge pools and steam rooms, making it ideal for a group day out with friends. There’s also a traditional Moroccan hammam and 16 treatment rooms, where the 90-minute Serene Sleep therapy is highly recommended, especially if you’re battling jetlag. Make sure you spend time in the cocoon-like relaxation room, too, with its dimmed lighting and stay-a-while feel. Best of all, your payment includes use of the hotel’s private beach before or after your treatment.Open daily 10am-10pm

You don’t even have to leave the beach at this Abu Dhabi spa. Saadiyat Island is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the capital, so a treatment in a private beach cabana at Iridium Spa has to be a must. Cool off with an aloe mist and cold stone therapy and then relax with a skin-saving SPF massage as you listen to the lulling waves. Inside the contemporary-style hammam, the Iridium Time Ritual is a bespoke massage in a beautiful bathing suite fitted out with glistening gold tiles. You can also try one of the many facials (including a tea-elixir facial that promises to restore radiance). There are separate men’s and women’s areas with steam baths and saunas, and a relaxation area to keep the Zen going well after your treatment.Open 9am-10pm (7pm for cabana treatments)

“A place of personal peace, enchantment and well-being” is how CHI describes its spa. Housed within Abu Dhabi’s Shangri-La Hotel, Emiratis in particular seek out this spa for its skilled therapists – among the city’s best. Treatments here are high-quality and based on natural Asian healing methods. If you’re looking for something exotic, go for the Arabic Coffee Scrub or the Arabian Date Body Wrap – both good enough to eat. To upgrade the experience, afterwards try The Ultimate Royal Retreat, which includes a traditional hammam followed by a one-hour deep-tissue massage. Enter via the private entrance near the souk, and be sure to make time to enjoy the facilities before or after your treatment. The infinity pool looks out over the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Mosque.Open daily 10am-midnight

Taking up residence within the hotel that straddles the city’s Formula 1 race track, ESPA at the Yas Viceroy is miles away from the whirring engines and fast pace. This award-winning spa has nine treatment rooms and a super-cool light therapy booth and colour therapy shower – in keeping with the shimmering light display on the LED canopy that envelops the building’s exterior. Whether you’re after a single treatment like a mindful massage, mani-pedi, body wrap or facial, or an escape package targeted to stress recovery or energy recharging, you’ll be in your element here. A top tip – the relaxation lounge provides views of the race track, so if there’s a race on, you’ll find yourself with a front row seat to the action.Open daily 9am-9pm

Zen the Spa is a great option for those who’d like to combine their spa therapy with a little retail therapy, as it adjoins the Abu Dhabi Mall with its more than 200 stores. The spa has 10 treatment rooms, two tranquillity suites and a lovely relaxation zone with comfy beds and low lighting. The menu has the usual offerings – facials, massages and beauty services – all of which are aimed at relaxing, refreshing and rebalancing. Afterwards, you can enjoy one of the huge number of dining options within the hotel precinct.Open Sunday-Wednesday 10am-10pm, and Thursday-Saturday 10am-11pm

Nothing is done by halves at Jumeirah, so you can expect the same at the spa where the high-flying clientele expect only the best. While you can book regular massages and facials, it’s unique treatments like the Detox Seaweed Leaf Bath and the Muscle Maintenance massage that are the stand-outs. The Jetlag Massage is a lifesaver, too. Bridal packages and dedicated men’s treatments are also available, and each treatment suite has its own wet area and changing spaces.Open daily 9am-10pm

Unlike most other spas, Point Zero offers stress-busting floatation therapy – solo-use cabins and pods filled with super-saturated salt water where you float weightless while enjoying colour, light and music therapy. It’s not for everyone (claustrophobics should probably give it a miss) but it’s a unique sensation and great for jet lag. Sessions range from 30 to 90 minutes, and besides that, the spa menu also includes body, facial and Ayurvedic treatments.Open daily 10am-10pm

As the name suggests, this Abu Dhabi spa is all about the senses. From the textures of soft chenille, crystalline stone and sunbleached driftwood in the beautiful relaxation areas, to the invigorating cold mist showers and citrus-rich body scrubs. Aside from the nine treatment rooms, there’s also a whirlpool Jacuzzi, sauna with fibreoptic lighting, and a steam room with colour therapy. Popular treatments include Arabian Nights, a three-hour ceremony that starts with a floral-scented milk bath and finishes with a 90-minute custom massage, and the Arabian Odyssey Scrub that blends frankincense and sandalwood to promote wellbeing.Open daily 10am-10pm

If it’s a quick mani-pedi you’re after, The Nail Spa is a chic, modern salon in cream and black, which is the go-to place for all things gel, acrylic and shellac – and Abu Dhabi takes its nail care very seriously. Additionally, here you don’t need to pay the hefty tourist taxes charged by the hotels. You can tag on an express neck and shoulder massage or a leg wax on-the-go, too. As well as the flagship spa at Al Wahda Mall, there are other branches at the Eastern Mangroves Promenade and the World Trade Centre Mall.Open daily 10am-10pm

Picture sweeping views of rolling sand dunes from the comfort of your treatment room bed. Whatever the pampering experience you opt for – whether it’s a massage to ease tight muscles after scaling the tallest dune at sunrise, or a facial to clean the sand away, it’s worth making the two-hour journey outside the capital to this breath-taking Abu Dhabi spa in the Liwa desert. The Arabian Desert Rose Ritual is the most popular treatment, which includes a body scrub, mask, rose milk bath, massage and biodynamic facial. The two-hour Royal Moroccan Hammam Ritual also comes highly recommended.Open daily 10am-10pm

Within one of the most classically Arabic hotels in the city, Ayana Spa is spread over two floors and has a treatment menu that blends ancient Arabian techniques, herbs and ingredients. There are separate men’s and women’s facilities, six treatment rooms and wet areas that include a sauna, Jacuzzi and steam bath. The two-hour Soothing Sapphire Ritual is one of the signature treatments, and its body cleanse, polish, mask and massage are truly relaxing. You can get the usual treatments here, too, including facials, massages and body scrubs. Besides that, the relaxation room, with its teal surrounds, is an intimate space, ideal for that cup of soothing tea and plate of fresh dates after your therapy.Open daily 10am-10pm

If you’re looking for treatments that are a little out of the ordinary, then we suggest you make a beeline for one of the Saray Spas in Abu Dhabi, where Arabic Coffee Awakener and Fruit Enzyme Facial are the order of the day. There are two Saray outlets: one at the Marriott Downtown and one at the Marriott Al Forsan, which is further out of town. If you’re less daring and prefer to go with what you know, then there are also aromatherapy and fragrant hot stone massages to choose from, and the two-hour Royal Hammam Ritual is a stand-out. The Marriott Downtown’s spa also offers stunning views from its relaxation lounges, and has six treatment rooms, a steam room and sauna.Open daily 10am-10pm

A pre-flight spa treatment is a great way to get yourself in holiday mode and beat the stresses of travel, and Business and First Class travellers with Etihad can enjoy treatments in the comfort of private cabins in the Etihad lounge at Abu Dhabi airport. The 15- or 25-minute therapies include leg massages to aid circulation, under-eye treatments to soothe tired eyes, and foot massages to reduce swelling. First Class guests are entitled to one complementary 15-minute spa, style or shave treatment. There’s also the option to pay by Etihad Miles.Open 24 hours daily

For a more authentic spa experience, we suggest trying one of the oldest Moroccan hammams in the capital. It’s reported that women travel from Baniyas, Madinat Zayed and the Liwa, some making a six-hour round trip, to visit Naama Beauty Centre, which is located in an unremarkable building in busy Hamden Street (there’s no website but drop in at their address on first floor, Ahmad Saif Khaili Building). But don’t be fooled: just one session here will have you coming back for more, as this spa offers some of the most authentic treatments in the UAE. It’s run by Najat Bennis, a Moroccan woman who moved her family from Casablanca to Abu Dhabi almost 40 years ago, and offers hair and beauty services as well as traditional Moroccan bath treatments.Open daily 9am-10pm

This Emirati beauty and spa brand is ideal if you’re limited by time or budget. With several outlets across the city, Tips & Toes offers everything from slimming treatments, to nail and eyelash extensions, hammams and hair services. You’ll pay far less than the hotels charge and won’t have to travel far to find one. Locations include Marina Mall, Yas Mall, Khalifa City and Al Falah.Open daily 11am-9pm

Chaps looking for a relaxing place to recharge should head to Urban Male Lounge where they’ll find nail services, hand and feet therapies, facials and massages including Swedish, Thai and shiatsu.Open Saturday-Wednesday 10am-10pm, Thursdays 10am-midnight, Fridays 12pm-midnight

An Abu Dhabi spa targeted to men on the go, 1847 has just opened a branch at Saadiyat Beach Club, where a full-blown day of pampering and relaxation can be on a sun lounger or a massage table. Additionally, you can choose from the Flat Out massages – as intense as they sound – or the selection of bone-clicking Thai massages. There are also express facial options for a skin boost in 30 minutes, plus manicures, pedicures, shaves, hair removal, and cutting and colouring, all guaranteed to get you ship-shape.Open daily 9am-9pm

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